


Shattered Second Chance

by tryptprince



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: AU, Child raising, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Growing Up, Human AU, gee maka how come the author lets you have two dads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tryptprince/pseuds/tryptprince
Summary: Just when Stein felt that he had left his less than golden high school years behind him, they come slamming back. Juggling a surgical residency, a motherless child, and his comatose ex-boyfriend should be easy for a genius like him. Right?
Relationships: Maka Albarn & Franken Stein, Maka Albarn & Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe, Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe & Franken Stein, Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe/Franken Stein
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

_A call, 2:30 in the morning. Answered, because who the hell calls then? The number is familiar. Work? He was still a surgical resident, they wouldn't call him at this hour. A voice, asking. The phone drops and he's running, running as fast as he can to the hospital, panic rising as he thinks this can't possibly be reality. This can't have possibly happened..._

He refrains from pushing open the too slow moving automatic doors to the emergency room.

"Franken." He pants to the alarmed nurse. "Stein. I got a call about a man named Spirit Albarn." Why was Stein still his emergency contact? What was going on that he was the one who was called.

Another nurse touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Follow me."

He tried to control his heartbeat as she led him to the trauma center. No, no, no. What happened? What was going on?

"Please wait here." The nurse dropped him off in the waiting room. It was empty except for a little girl and yet another nurse. The girl was wrapped in a blanket and trembling but seemed unhurt, aside from the smallest of wrist braces on her arm.

"Oh, hello, you must be the next of kin." The nurse stood. "Do you recognize him?" She asked the girl kindly.

The girl looked up and shook her head, but Stein gasped. He would know those green eyes anywhere.

He cleared his throat. "Um, legally, I suppose if that's what Spirit put." he said awkwardly. "Um. Franken. Stein. You look like your mother." he added, speaking directly to the child.

She looked at him hesitantly before nodding slightly. He could tell that she got that a lot.

The nurse made a note on the clipboard. "Well, you are who you say you are, even though it's clear the two of you have never met. How are you related?"

"Um." Stein didn't like talking about himself much less his more spectacular failures. "Spirit is my... um. My ex-boyfriend." He muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"I..." The nurse snapped her mouth shut and made another note. "Come with me for a moment."

The girl let out a cry, not wanting to be left alone. "We'll be just right here, sweetie." The nurse said, pointing to the door way. "See? You can still see us?" She nodded, seemingly satisfied with that.

"What happened? Whats going on?" Stein asked the nurse urgently.

"The Albarn family was in a car crash this evening." The nurse spoke in a clipped, professional tone. "The parents sustained heavy injuries and are both in surgery right now." She gestured to the girl. "Maka Albarn, age 5. She was asleep and secured in her booster seat. Just a sprained wrist."

Stein nodded. "Can I see their charts?" He asked. When the nurse raised an eyebrow, he added. "I'm doing my surgical residency here."

She pursed her lips, but showed him the intake information. It all looked bad. He shivered, giving his head a scratch to clear his thoughts.

"I haven't seen Spirit in years." He explained. "We broke up after high school... I didn't even know he..." He knew that Spirit and Kami got married, but he had no idea about the kid. Or that Spirit trusted him enough to put him down as 'next of kin'.

The nurse nodded sympathetically. "I understand it's a lot, but until those two are out of surgery... you might be all she's got. I have to go now."

Stein turned back to the small figure. She didn't seem to be crying, just tired. Or bored. Stein wasn't the best at reading faces. Or being around children. It definitely took an exertion of mental energy to get himself in a state that he could talk to her.

She eyed him warily as he approached. "Would it be okay if I sat right here?" He asked, hoping his voice was gentle.

Another few seconds of staring and she nodded. He sighed with relief and sat down next to her.

"My name is Franken." He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

Maka nodded and took his hand. That surprised him. "Hello, Mr. Franken." She spoke almost like an adult, her voice soft and polite. "My name is Maka. It's nice to meet you, too."

They shook and let go. That's Kami's kid all right, he thought to himself. She had always been very formal with everyone except Spirit.

"Do you know what's happening right now?" He asked.

"Of course I do!" Such indignation from such a small body. "I'm not a baby!"

"No, no, of course not, I didn't mean to-" His back-pedaling was cut short when he recognized Doctor Heron – his mentor - appearing in the door way, a grave expression on his face. The doctor motioned for him to come and he followed, glancing behind his shoulder.

"Stein, I didn't expect to see you here." the doctor said. "To be honest, I didn't think you knew anyone at all."

Stein shrugged. "Old friend from high school, Doc."

The doctor nodded. "Haven't spoke in a while?"

He shook his head, becoming impatient. "Look, Heron, if something happened..."

His mentor gave the kind of heavy sigh you only get when you're about to receive bad news. "The wife, Kami Albarn, died 10 minutes ago on the operating table."

The blood drained from Stein's face as he white knuckled the sleeves of his hoodie. "And... Spirit?" He managed to choke out.

Heron shook his head. "He's still under the knife." He looked over at Maka. "Is there anyone else?"

Now Stein shook his head. "He emancipated himself at 15 and I don't really know anything about Kami's family."

The doctor sighed again. "Can you do it?" He asked.

Stein swallowed thickly. It usually took people a few weeks to hate him. To become immediately hated was not something he looked forward to. "Yes." he said, heading back to Maka. "I can."

Again, Maka's eyes watched him carefully as he approached. _Fuck_. he thought. He didn't even know if Spirit had told the kid about life and death. He wasn't sure how to give the news, but he knew that he liked getting direct answers and wouldn't want someone to beat around the bush with this.

"Hi, Maka." He said, sitting down next to her again. "The doctor gave me some very sad news. They tried everything they could, but your mommy died. Do you understand what that means?"

Maka looked away from him to stare straight ahead. He was about to speak again when she nodded slightly. Relief at her understanding quickly gave way to panic as he noticed she was trembling, silent tears streaking her face as she clutched the folds of her dress tightly. She didn't make a single sound beyond a slight whimper.

Somehow that shattered Stein's heart more than any sob could.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“We don't know when he'll wake up.” Dr. Heron had come back in to update him on Spirit's situation. It was now 6:30 in the morning. “And... look.” He sat down next to Stein. “We've all been talking and... you're an outstanding resident, you really are. We think you should take some time off.” He glanced at Maka. “The records indicate that they wanted you to take care of her if something happened.”

Stein shook his head. “They never told me.” He said, quietly. Maka had cried herself out and was asleep, her tiny body stretched out across the double chair next to him.

“You don't have to do it.” the doctor said. “We can call child services.”

“No.” He hissed, not wanting to wake her. “I don't want her to get lost in the system before Spirit can even process...” He trailed off. “I'll take her home. I want updates every hour.”

“He'll need to under go more surgery.” Heron added. “We still aren't clear about the extent of damage.”

Stein looked at Maka's sleeping form. “I know. I know he isn't out of the woods yet but. Just call me, okay?”

He nodded wordlessly and left. Now came the hard part. Maka had registered her understanding last night, but he had no idea how she'd react now. He certainly didn't want to just take her to his apartment without making sure she was okay.

“Maka...” He said lightly, shaking her shoulder gently. “Maka, wake up.”

She stirred, fussed, but eventually sat up, rubbing her eyes. She looked around, confused. When Stein said her name again, she looked over at him.

“Hi.” He said. “Remember me?” She nodded. “Do you remember what we talked about last night?”

She looked away, biting her lip. After a moment she nodded. She didn't want to cry again, but the tears wouldn't stop.

“Um...” Stein reached out a hand awkwardly. “Would you like-” She clambered over on to him before he could finish his sentence, clutching the front of his shirt and sobbing. He enveloped her in a hug, making vague soothing noises.

It took about an hour, but as the sun peeked its rays into the waiting room, she let go.

“What about Papa?” She asked.

Stein sighed and shook his head. “He's not awake yet.” He explained. “And they need to keep trying to fix him.”

She nodded, more tears leaking.

“Maka, the doctors told me that your papa said that he wanted me to take care of you.” He told her. “So how about we go to my apartment? It's not very far and the doctors said they'd talk to us there. Is that okay?”

She hesitated. She had never spent a single night away from home. Since she didn't fully sleep, this didn't count. Would she be okay without Snuggie and Blank? Still, she was really tired. And if Mr. Franken said that they would stay near papa, she'd rather go with him.

“Okay.” She said softly, climbing down from his lap.

“Okay.” He agreed.

They started walking through the hospital, Stein lost in thought. It wasn't until he heard a pained groaned that he snapped back, looking around. He panicked; where was Maka?

“Mr. Franken...” Maka was doubled over, hands on her knees. She was gasping for breath.

“Oh...” He realized that she didn't even come up to his knee yet. Long, lanky, and oblivious, he hadn't noticed Maka trying to keep pace with him. He stood still for a moment, waiting for her. After she straightened up, he held out his hand. She took it and with that small reminder, he was able to slow down for once.

Hand-in-hand, the odd pair walked through the hospital. Those who knew Stein eyed him questioningly, but made no comment. He made sure to check in with the staff to let them know he was taking Maka and finally they were out the door.

“It's not that far of a walk.” Stein wasn't one for 'reading the room', but it felt odd to just... not say anything to her. He decided not to mention that he ran flat out to get here just six hours previously. “Are you hungry? We can pick something up or maybe you just want to sleep?” Maybe he should do grocery delivery...

She didn't respond, just trudged next to him, clinging to his hand. It didn't feel right, to him. Five year olds had boundless reserves of energy. Very rarely were they as subdued as this. Then he wanted to smack himself in the face for being stupid. She probably was hungry, definitely tired, and she just lost her mother. There's no way she'd be chipper. He silently thanked whatever deity was listening when they reached his apartment building.

“See?” He said, trying to be encouraging. “Not a long walk at all.” However... “It is a bit of a climb though.” He admitted, gesturing to the stair case. The elevator had been broken for as long as he could remember. Cheap apartment in the heart of a city – typical. And he was on the 12th floor.

“Look.” He sat down on the bottom step. “Is it okay if I carry you?” He asked. She had seemed very irritated last night that he dared to treat her like a child. He wanted to make sure he wasn't crossing any lines. Her arms found their way around his neck and he picked her up without another word.

By the time they reached the top, she was already fast asleep. He hesitated as he stood in the bare, messy apartment. All he really had in the way of furniture was his desk, computer, and a futon shoved into what could only modestly be called a bedroom. Was it okay for her to sleep there? He was legally responsible for her, so it should be fine, right? He couldn't let her sleep on the floor...

With a resigned sigh, he carried her into the bedroom and laid her gently on the futon. It's not like it got that much use, anyway. He usually fell asleep at his computer, when he did manage to sleep. He made his way there and collapsed into the shoddy office chair, staring at the ceiling.

Why did he suddenly care so much? He had pushed away everything from his childhood while it had been happening. Even dating Spirit had been more of an experiment than an actual relationship, despite it lasting well over a year. He knew he broke his heart and that was just another emotion tucked away and forgotten, that guilt.

No, Stein had never been overly emotional. That only really happened when things got bad. When he had been up for four days or slept with nightmares. Only then did he cry, or get angry.

And as suddenly as those feelings appeared, they dissipated.

And yet while he could find no tears to shed for Kami, there was an unnatural, gnawing pit of concern growing inside him. Here he was, friendless, kicked out of countless medical schools until he finally graduated, and now suddenly right when he was back on track in some sort of way, the universe nearly took away the only person he almost cared about. And gave him something entirely new to care about.

To experiment on?

He shook his head violently, trying to clear that thought out of his mind. He had to stay out of trouble, had to protect her and take care of her. He couldn't go cutting into a five year old just to see what would happen.

His entire body relaxed when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Distractions. That's what he needed right now. He answered with a sullen “Hello.”

“Stein, have you gotten any sleep at all?” It was his mentor. At the question, Stein checked the time of his computer. 10:17am.

“So that much time has passed, huh?” He mumbled before speaking up. “I thought I told you to call me every hour.”

“Come on, you know how busy this place can get.” the doctor replied. “Anyway,” he continued, his voice a little softer, “he's not awake yet. Vitals are improving, and he's scheduled for a secondary surgery this afternoon.” He paused. “How's the kid...?”

Stein glanced into the bedroom. She was still sound asleep, curled around the hospital blanket she had kept. “Sleeping, right now. Hey, doc?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you even take care of a kid?”

His mentor chuckled. “Just pay attention and ask questions. For right now, let her sleep. And I trust you can handle a sprained wrist?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Hey. You'll be fine. She'll be fine. God willing, so will her father.”

Stein didn't have anything to say to that so he just nodded and hung up.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mama! Papa!”

Stein woke with a jerk. He had fallen asleep in his chair again. What was that yelling? Who was...?

And then the reality of the past 18 hours hit him like a freight train. Shit, what was her name again? Micha? Megan? Mary?

She screamed again and he didn't have time to be a fully functional human being so he hurried into the bedroom. He saw her backed up against the wall, panting heavily, fear wild in her eyes. She probably thought it had been a nightmare. Once again, he would have to tell her what happened. He sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“Hello.” He said, sitting down in the doorway. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by encroaching on her personal space. “I'm a friend of your father's. Do you remember what happened last night?”

She looked down at her arm as her body continued shaking. The fear left her eyes, replacing them with a dead look as the horror and sorrow set in. He felt his heart lurch painfully. His own emotions surprised him. He didn't think he'd feel this way about anyone. Feeling so...

_Paternal._

“You're probably hungry.” He continued. “Would you like something to eat?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

“You don't have to hide in there.” He added, standing up and stepping away from the room. “You can sit out here.”

He leaned against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, watching her look around. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he somehow doubted that she was impressed with what she was seeing. Once she finally sat down, he checked the cabinets and the fridge. Nothing.

He wracked his brain. The last thing they both needed was a shopping trip. He supposed he could take her back to the hospital but he didn't think she'd want to eat there. She was also in the same outfit as yesterday. He groaned. This is why he didn't want kids. Why did Spirit think it was a good idea for him to care for her?

He kept thinking, trying to figure out what to do. He knew that families with children lived in the building, but he wasn't sure which floor, which apartment, anything. Big green eyes, greener than his, looked out at him expectantly.

When he heard the thumping of foot steps and the sound of a high, young voice, he sighed in relief. His neighbors! They had a kid!

He rushed to the front door and yanked it open, startling a young man with dreadlocks and the blue (blue?) haired toddler he was carrying.

“Hi!” He exclaimed in what he hoped was a cheery tone.

The child, not understanding strangers, grinned happily and waved, nearly falling out of his guardian's arms.

“Hello.” The young man said cautiously.

“I'm uh... My name is Franken.” He glanced down when he noticed motion next to him. The girl was gripping his pant leg. “And this is... Ma...”

“Maka.” She whispered.

“Maka!”

“So you aren't just a moody old man who lives alone?”

Stein blinked. “Uh. I'm 24.”

The young man didn't push it and stuck out a free hand. “Sid.”

“Nice to meet you.” Stein shook his hand and stepped forward a bit. “I actually need some help.” he whispered, hoping Maka couldn't hear.

Sid looked from the tired med student to the broken looking girl and nodded. “Come in.”

The inside of Sid's apartment was tidy, with only some toys and books scattered to indict the presence of a child. It was just as sparse as Stein's though, he noticed, the furniture just as old. It was a one room, just like his, too.

“Black Star, be nice to Maka, okay?” Sid told the boy.

He beamed and nodded. He loved making new friends! This friend seemed really sad though. The look on her face reminded him of how Sid looked sometimes.

“Thank you.” Stein said, sinking into a chair at the small table.

“Helping people is the kind of man I am.” Sid responded, sitting across from him.

“Is that why...” Stein pointed to the boy.

“Half brother.” He explained. “There were some... family issues. I got custody. And why exactly is there a 5 year old girl who looks nothing like you living in your apartment?” He wasn't a man to be suspicious, but he also would literally kill this man if he even had a thought about hurting her.

Stein took a deep breath and began explaining the circumstances of his new roommate.

“... and I don't know where they lived and her dad is still in a coma. I don't know what to do with her, but I'm her guardian for now.”

Sid nodded. He had received an alert on his phone about an accident in the area. He had no idea that one of the victims was right there in front of him.

“Let's see if we can't get any information out of her.” Sid suggested. “But first, let's get her something to eat.”

Stein could almost cry with the kindness being shown to him. Very out of character, for him to be feeling so many emotions in such a short amount of time. What was wrong with him?

Sid told him to stay put and keep an eye on the kids. It looked like the boy – Black Star? Seriously? - was showing Maka some toys, but she kept shaking her head. Stein could tell that he was used to playing with other energetic kids and had never met one that wasn't interested in playing and being friends. Still, he continued talking animatedly as she sat there, her head hung low.

“Here.” Sid placed a plate in front of Stein. It had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, apple slices, celery, and a cookie. He couldn't help but look at the younger man like he was insane.

“Black Star! Come and eat!”

Black Star didn't hesitate and he grabbed Maka by the hand to pull her up. He climbed on Sid's lap to give himself some height to reach the table, letting Maka sit in his booster seat next to Stein.

“You made four plates of this?” Stein asked, watching Black Star smear jelly on his face.

Sid nodded, swallowing a bite of celery. “I tried to make sure we eat three squares a day.”

“Must be hard, living in the city like this.”

“It is. But we're...” He ruffled Black Star's hair. “We're happy.” He said finally.

Stein glanced over at Maka. She was staring at her sandwich in confusion. She hadn't taken a bite of any food at all, he noticed.

“Maka, you should eat something.”

She mumbled something. All he could make was “... ust...”

What ever she said, Sid responded immediately by handing Stein a butter knife. “I don't like using knives when I'm holding Star. That's the kind of man I am.”

“Uhhh...”

Sid couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh. “She wants you to cut the crust off of her sandwich.”

“Oh.”

He picked up the knife and slowly went around the edges, removing the offending bites of bread. She watched him work while placing her celery on his plate. He glanced to Sid, who made a 'yuck' face. Okay, no celery for her. He sat the sandwich back down on her plate and waited.

She examined his handiwork and, seemingly satisfied, took a small bite. He let out another sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was Kami haunting his ass because her daughter was underfed.

Sid let Black Star loose after a quick wipe down with a wash cloth to stop the spread of jam, remaining at the table with Stein and Maka until she finished eating. Stein couldn't tell if she usually ate this slowly or if it was hard because of the weight of everything that happened.

Sid cleared the plates and had Black Star come in and help him tidy up, leaving Stein to question Maka.

“I guess, first, you want to know how Spi- uh... Papa, is?”

She nodded.

“Well, the doctors are keeping me in the loop. He's...” How do you explain inter-cranial pressure and internal bleeding to a 5 year old? “The doctors are still fixing him.”

She tilted her head and looked at him in slight confusion. He tried to think of a better way to phrase his explanation. Maybe give her the full truth?

“So... he was hurt pretty badly.” He started. “He hit his head and sometimes, when that happens, it causes a lot of blood to build up. The doctors need to carefully remove that blood.”

She nodded. Of course she knew head and blood.

“And here-” He pointed to his ribs. “- the stuff inside started bleeding too. That's bad, it can make you very sick. These-” he pressed his hand down “- the ribs, were broken as well.”

She started crying again. He knew he took it too far. Kids don't need to hear gruesome stuff like that. He probably just further traumatized her.

“Thank you...” She said, voice shaking. “... for telling the truth about Papa.”

“You're welcome...” He felt awkward saying it, for everything he had been saying, but she seemed sincere. He glanced over at Sid who gave him a thumbs up. He turned his attention back to Maka.

“Would you like to take a bath and change clothes?” He asked. She held up her braced arm. “It's okay, you can take that off while you're in there.” She nodded again. “Would you like to go back to your house today and get some things?”

“Can we stay there?”

Stein bit his lip. He would feel so uncomfortable staying at Spirit and Kami's home, surrounded by the remnants of domestic bliss. The environment would be so alien, used to as he was to this concrete jungle. He looked to Sid for any sort of signal on how to answer her question. He just shrugged.

“W-we could...” He managed. “But you know... this place is close to the hospital – to Papa...”

Her head immediately bobbed up and down. “Can I stay with you, then?!”

That would just as weird, he realized. But he'd rather stay close to Spirit as well. If something happened, he could be there right away.

“Sure.” He smiled.

Without Stein even noticing, Sid had wrangled Black Star into a nap and was sitting quietly on the couch, waiting for them to finish.

“Sid?”

“Can we borrow your bathtub? And uh. Some of Black Star's clothes?”

“Of course.”

Stein nodded and helped Maka down. The layout was identical to his own, allowing him to quickly ready the bath while Sid grabbed a towel and some clothes for Maka. He had tried to find the least boyish of Black Star's clothes which just ended up being a generic green t-shirt and a pair of shorts. After doing some more thinking, he grabbed a pair of underwear and socks for her.

When the tub was full to her specifications, Stein paused. Again, the issue of propriety. Of course he'd never do anything to Maka, ever. But he was a man and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He glanced at the shower curtain. Maybe he should stay if the curtain was closed?

He didn't even have time to react because Maka was already climbing into the tub, careful not to mess with her brace.

“Um...” He wasn't sure what to do. “Well, I'll leave you to it!”

“Wait!” She reached out with her injured arm. “I need ta wash my hair!”

Well, she couldn't exactly scrub her scalp clean with her arm like that. Or... anything, really. He grimaced. Did Spirit teach her about consent yet? Kami might have...

“Okay.” He pulled his hoodie off to prevent it from getting wet. He paused before going closer to the tub, noticing that Maka was staring at him with wide eyes. _Oh, the scars._ “Is it okay if I help you, Maka? I know I look a little... weird, but I'm fine.”

She nodded and he knelt down next to her, easing the wrist brace off her arm, apologizing when she winced.

“This is a really important part to keep clean.” He said, sticking his hand in the water and rubbing hers, gently removing the dirt that had gotten trapped under the brace. “Sweat can get trapped, make it smelly.” He wrinkled his nose in what he hoped was a joking manner and was pleased when a small smile appeared on her face.

Keeping her hand in his so as not to jostle it too much, Maka was able to clean herself up without much trouble. She rested it on the edge of the tub when Stein poured water on her head and began washing her hair.

Soon enough, she was dressed in her borrowed clothes, brace back on her wrist.

“Thank you so much, Sid.” Stein said, shaking his hand. “I hope I can pay back the favor.”

“It was no trouble. You can pay me back by keeping her safe.” He responded.

“Thank you, Mr. Sid.” Maka said, also reaching out to shake his hand.

Sid shook it, nonplussed, and ushered them out the door. Did they just become friends?

* * *

“Okay, it looks like your papa isn't awake yet.” Stein said, scrolling through his messages as he and Maka walked to the hospital. “But you can probably still see him, if you want.”

She nodded.

“It might upset you.”

“Okay.”

She was so strong for a child. She certainly didn't get that from Spirit. Spirit was... kind of a crybaby. But Kami wasn't. For lack of a better term she was a stone cold bitch and she took that as a compliment.

They headed towards the ICU, Stein noticing that he was drawing more looks than usual. He glanced down and flinched. He left his hoodie at Sid's. He supposed he could snag a lab coat from someone, but was that really what he needed to be focusing on, now?

They entered Spirit's room and Stein could feel Maka's hand squeeze his. He didn't know what to say. The amount of plaster covering Spirit did little to hide his obviously swollen face. Bruises were peaking out of the casts on his arm and leg. His breathing was steady, but it was the tubing and the oxygen that kept it that way.

Maka let go of him and went to stand next to the bed. He looked at her worriedly for a few moments before reading his chart. _Medically induced coma? Shit..._ He exhaled sharply, hoping Maka wouldn't notice.

It looked like she was talking to him. Her hand was laid carefully on the sheet as close to him as possible with actually touching him. Stein listened as she recounted the last several hours of what he missed. She didn't seem as sad, even though Spirit was in such a sorry state. He was glad that she was feeling better.

It was when he sat down in the chair next to the bed that he began panicking. He swooped in to pull a startled Maka away and immediately got the attention of the nearest nurse.

“Kidney failure!”

The nurse nodded and soon the room was swarmed with doctors and nurses hauling him to the O.R. _Ah, crap._ Maka was crying again. He held her close to his chest and rubbed her back as her body shook with sobs.

“I'm sorry...” He murmured.

* * *

“Stein?”

He jerked his head up, gasping. Maka was still asleep on his lap. He hadn't realized that they had both dozed off while waiting for some news.

“Nurse Marie?”

“Yes.” She hustled forward and sat down next to him. “I'm surprised you recognized me. Everyone says you tend to ignore everyone.”

“You're the only nurse with an eyepatch.” He pointed out.

She grinned. “Pretty handy then, I guess.”

“I assume you have an update.”

“Oh!” She handed him the file, flustered. “Yes! So as you can see we got his kidneys working again and Dr. Heron was able to drain more blood from his brain.”

“Still comatose?”

“Medically. We really don't think he should be awake yet.”

“And Kami Albarn?”

Marie bit her lip and looked down. “She's still in the morgue. We figured... that she should stay there until her husband could make the decisions about it.”

Stein nodded and grabbed a pen that was hooked to Marie's lanyard. He took her hand and scribbled something down. He knew that they weren't friends, but surely she was the kind of person who would help a coworker in a crisis.

“You're off soon, right? Got a car?”

“Um, uh, yes?” She said, looking down at her inked hand. An address?

“That's the Albarn residence. Can you pick up some clothes for Maka? Maybe find a family photo?”

“Uhhh....”

“Maka?” Stein shook her gentle. Man, that girl could sleep. “Maka?”

“Mmm?” She shifted, rubbing her eyes a little. She blinked rapidly and sat up straight. “Is papa okay?”

“Yep. Still asleep, but they fixed another thing.”

She nodded.

“Now this is Ms. Marie. She works with me at the hospital. She's offered to go back to your mommy and daddy's and get you some things. Is there anything besides clothes that you want?”

“Blank! And Snuggie!”

Marie tilted her head. “Can you... tell me about them?”

“Blank is... blankie!” She said, struggling. Why didn't this Miss Marie get it? Blank was Blank! It wasn't really something she had learned how to properly say because her parents knew Blank. “Purple.” She added, for clarity. She only had one purple blanket after all.

“And Snuggie?” Marie asked, gently.

This one was a bit easier. “Kitty!” She said, helpfully. “Mama and Papa named her Blair but she is just... snuggie.”

Marie nodded. “Okay, thank you for telling me. Will it be easier to sleep at Mr. Franken's with Blank and Snuggie?”

Maka nodded back. “Thank you, lady!”

Marie gave Maka a gentle pat on the head. “My shift is done in one hour and then I'll pick that stuff up, okay?”

Stein stood and stretched. “Okay, Maka, let's go say bye to Papa.”

He checked all of the monitors and vitals while Maka talked to her father. Only when he was satisfied that Spirit would remain stable over night did he gently pull Maka away and led her back to the 12th floor apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

Stein was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life. Even exams weren't this tough. It was hard to believe that Maka hadn't even been in his life a full 24 hours yet and he had changed more than he thought was possible.

“It'll be late when Marie gets here.” He said to Maka as they climbed the steps. “We'll need to figure something out for dinner.”

“Do you have cartoons?” Maka asked.

“Uh...” He used Netflix to watch true crime documentaries so he supposed technically... “Yeah?”

“I wanna watch cartoons.”

“Okay, sure.” He chuckled a little, surprised at the sound. Another change. “Did I... leave the door unlocked?” He muttered as he pushed the front door open. He stood at the threshold in shock.

His apartment was completely unrecognizable. His books were stacked neatly next to his desk, which had been wiped down. He sniffed the air – a noticeable absence of tobacco? The carpet had been vacuumed as well. More and more he noticed as he and Maka made their way back inside. Everything was completely spotless.

“Mr. Franken, look!” Maka barely reached the counter, but it seems like she noticed the note sitting there.

_Franken:_

_It was nice to meet you and young Miss Maka today. Black Star was rather taken with her and wants to play again. As for me, I noticed that your home isn't... wholly fit for a child. I hope I wasn't out of line in coming here to clean while you visited the hospital. Anything that you might consider important, I kept by the desk so you wouldn't have a hard time finding it._

_Here for you when you need it:_

_Sid_

Stein smiled softly. “Looks like we made some friends today, Maka.”

She grinned up at him. “That's good!”

He adjusted some stuff on his desk before pulling up his computer's internet browser to make some changes to his streaming account; Maka would need stay in the kid appropriate areas. Once he was done setting up as many parental blocks as he could think of, he offered her the chair.

“Sorry that I don't have a TV, kiddo.” He said. “And uh. You don't have to call me mister, either. Just Franken is fine.” _Or Stein._

“Oh.” She wiggled in the seat a little bit. “Okay.”

He patted her shoulder and checked to see the damage Sid inflicted on his hardly used kitchen. He was surprised here too: the cabinets were filled with kid favorite snacks. There was cereal on the counter; lunch meat and milk in the fridge.

“How did he afford this...?” Stein muttered, opening the drawers at the bottom. An eighteen year old, raising a toddler in this city? He supposed government assistance was in play. “Dumb kid.” He kept talking to himself to keep from thinking too hard about worse things. “Wasting his money on me. I coulda gone shopping.” He just didn't have a car. Or a booster seat. Or a desire to feed himself.

He was so used to doing things on his own, being on his own that this kind of help felt... strange. He knew it was for Maka's sake that Sid was being kind, but he couldn't help but also feel like maybe Sid was trying to take care of him too.

“Dumb kid...” He muttered again. “Hey, Maka.” He called, poking his head into the living room. “I'm gonna shower real quick.” He wonder vaguely if he should or if he should make some attempt at shiva, then wondered if it was appropriate at all considering he barely knew the woman, and then eventually gave in and showered anyway considering he hadn't in the past couple of days.

“Kay!” She called, eyes glued to the screen.

He was in and out as quickly as he could be, not wanting to leave her alone for too long. He checked his phone as he lounged on the disused couch, water still dripping from his head.

“Hey, Maka, it's these two right?” He asked, showing her the photo Marie had sent. She nodded before turning quickly back to her animated nonsense.

He was surprised it had taken Marie as long as it had to even get to Spirit's. The Albarns hadn't lived that far out of the city. He meditated on that thought idly while absently reaching for his cigarettes.

“You shouldn't do that if you're a doctor.” The little girl called over her shoulder.

“I'm not a doctor.” He responded, hand hesitating on the lighter.

“You know what's wrong with Papa.” she shot back, sounding smug.

“All right, then, I'm not a doctor yet. How about that?”

She nodded, satisfied. Not wanting to be scorned by a toddler, he put the pack away. _Not even 24 hours..._

He awoke to immense pressure on his chest and a knock on the door. Glancing down, he saw that Maka had climbed on him while he slept and fallen asleep as well. His face relaxed into a gentle smile as he picked her up and gently deposited her into the bedroom.

He glanced at the time on his cell phone as he opened the door.

“Marie? It's past midnight, what took you so long?!”

“Sorry...” She panted, out of breath from the climb. “I had trouble finding my way there and back.”

“It's... fine, come in.” He pinched his nose in exasperation as the bubbly nurse entered his apartment. “Thank you.”

“Maka's asleep then?” She asked, setting down several bags in addition to a suit case.

“Yeah.” He said, watching her as she grabbed a blanket and stuffed animal from one of them and placed them next to Maka. She reached out almost instinctively to curl around the tattered cat. Marie closed the door softly and joined Stein on the couch.

“How is she?” She asked earnestly. He looked at her, surprised. She didn't even know the girl, barely knew him and yet...

“She's... okay. Hard to believe it hasn't even been a day.”

“These kids, they get into your heart before you even realize it.” She said, patting his shoulder. “And they heal faster than we can comprehend.”

“I'd feel better if Spirit would just wake up and we could...” He ran a hand through his hair, trying not to tug at it. “I don't like that we haven't been able to start burial plans yet...” He wasn't sure who would give him a bigger verbal smack down: his mother or his rabbi.

“It does seem like we should plan something.” Marie was a helper. “I...” She grabbed a bag and pulled out a computer. “I think it might be Kami's, that was her name, right?”

“Yeah...” Stein said breathlessly, taking the computer from her. “I... thank you. At the very least, it might be a family computer of some sort.”

Marie smiled. “You're welcome. You know if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call.” She leaned forward, as if trying to get closer to him. He felt that there was weight to her words, one that he couldn't lift, not now.

“Of course.” He stood and made his way to the door. “Can you try to get yourself positioned near Spirit? Heron keeps dodging my calls and I'd rather not interrupt another visit with emergency kidney repair.”

“I'll do my best.” Marie was not one to overstay her welcome, even though she was thrilled to finally be in the home of her crush. “Have a good night, Stein.” She said warmly.

“Yeah...”

He slumped against the door once it had shut. He wondered why he brushed her off like that. A cute girl like her? It would have been nice, a good way to distract himself. Then again, perhaps now was not the time for distractions. At least, not of the sexual kind. He finally had something he could actually do, could work on.

He set up the Albarn family computer and began his attempts to unlock it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for self harm and emotional manipulation. If you'd like, skip the italicized part of the story and I'll do a clean summary at the end of the chapter. Also: thank you so much for all your kind comments so far! I have very much enjoyed writing this story and I'm glad that you all have enjoyed reading it!

With Spirit still in a coma, Stein set up longer term plans for himself and Maka. He went back to his residency while Sid watched her during the day. Her and Black Star quickly became good friends, but they did tend to bicker and get into fights. They were oddly competitive for such small children, Sid remarked one day. And when Sid couldn't keep an eye on her, Marie was more than happy to step in and help.

Despite the grief that surrounded the situation, Stein was beginning to feel something he hadn't experienced since high school. He was actually feeling happy. He was smiling more, getting enough sleep, eating enough, no longer smoking. When the bank contacted him about the Albarn house, he contacted his family to see if they could help keep it for Spirit and Maka. He knew that there was no way Spirit could stay with him once he got out of the hospital – not on the 12th floor. Still, he didn't want to move into the house and leave his apartment behind without Spirit's permission. And while this did cause some financial strain on him, he didn't complain. It was only the beginning of the debt he knew he had to pay.

There was still the matter of Kami. Her remains were still in the morgue at the hospital and Stein couldn't bring himself to handle the situation without Spirit. If he held a funeral ceremony without the husband, what kind of person would he be? But Maka deserved a chance to say good-bye, too. It was a big responsibility that weighed on his shouldered, with no clear or right choice to be made. He still hadn't been able to track down anyone who knew them. How had the Albarns ended up in a city so close to him, where no one else knew them? Where were the friends they knew in high school? What about from college? Why wasn't anyone there to mourn the loss of Kami Albarn?

“Did your mama and papa ever have friends over?” Stein asked Maka one day, during his break. He would often forgo a babysitter entirely and let her sit in Spirit's room all day as long as she was good. He would check on them as often as possible, often tending to Spirit's needs before the nurses could.

“Hm...” Maka kicked her legs thoughtfully. “No. It was just me and papa and mama. Sometimes mama or papa would leave.”

Stein sighed heavily and patted Maka on the head. She grinned up at him. She was scared for her papa and missed her mama, but she had Franken now and he was her best friend. He wasn't quite sure where that put him on any sort of social ladder, but he valued the opinions of children more than adults. Children were often honest to a fault which, he now realized, made it easier for him to communicate with them.

And he found that he actually liked Maka. Despite her age, she was an interesting person. She enjoyed reading, experiencing new things, and didn't mind watching more mature TV shows and movies with him. Just as long as he watched _StoryBots_ with her. Every night at dinner, they'd talk about their day if he had left Maka with Sid; one day a week, they'd have a big family meal with him, Black Star, and Marie.

Still, the longer they had to wait for Spirit to be stable enough to be woken up, the more he found himself dwelling on the events that led to their falling-out. Would Spirit even forgive him? Would he want Stein back in his life? Doing everything for Spirit was the bare minimum after what he had done. And what would Maka think, if she knew? What would his friends... no, his family think?

It gave him nightmares. He had no right to feel happy. He was doting on another man's daughter while his life hung in the balance. Guilt clawed at him whenever he looked in on them while at the hospital. He was no substitute, no parent. Maka chattered away at Spirit, to continued silence. Stein would only come to whisper desperate words to no avail.

“Please... wake up.”

He never let Maka or the others see. Not the gentle brushing of the hair off of a slowly healing face, the soft stroke of delicate hands against yellow bruises. Nor the look in his eyes when he looked at Spirit, still completely and utterly devoted to the man he had destroyed.

He was a monster.

“Franken?” Maka brought him out of his dark reverie.

“Yes?”

“When can I say goodbye to Mama?”

“We should wait for your Papa to wake up first, so you can both say good bye.”

She looked at her too still father, waiting for him to do something other than breathe. “Should... will I have to say goodbye to Papa, too?”

“No.” He spoke a little too harshly, gritting his teeth. “No, he's going to wake up. His body is healing, okay?”

“Okay.” She whispered, shaken by his tone. Stein stood, unable to remain in the same room as her at the moment.

“I'll be back soon, okay? If you get hungry, page a nurse.”

_Stupid, stupid. That's no way to talk to a grieving child._ He admonished himself as he headed to the roof. While he had mostly quit, some times after having to see Maka look at Spirit so made his fingers itch for a cigarette. The sun was setting, it would be time for them to go home soon. He lit up, shaking the match out and inhaling the left over fumes. The scent of a struck match was almost as good as the cigarette itself. He hadn't used matches since he started smoking in high school...

* * *

“ _Stein?! STEIN!” Spirit was shaking him, eyes clouded with worry and tears._

“ _Huh?” He heard a clatter, the noise breaking him out of his head more than his boyfriend's voice. “Spirit? What are you doing here?”_

“ _You called me, remember?” He couldn't tell what Spirit was doing, but there was a sudden, intense pressure on his arm. “You said you'd hurt yourself if I didn't come right away!”_

_Stein rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “I did?”_

“ _Jesus, Stein...”_

_He began taking stock of his surroundings. He was at home, in his bedroom. Spirit was holding a towel that was slowly getting soaked with blood. His blood. The clatter had been a razor that dropped from his hands. Spirit must have walked in while he was mid-cut. Stein pulled his arm away._

“ _Go home, Spirit.”_

“ _Babe...”_

“ _I'm serious. I don't know why I called you, but I don't need you here.”_

“ _Can I at least dress your arm?” Spirit ran a hand through Stein's hair, as if to comfort him. It did nothing. Still, he relented._

“ _Fine.”_

_Spirit pulled away the towel and they both examined the cuts that lined Stein's arm from the wrist to the crook of his elbow. They were shallow, some already scabbing. No stitches needed, not this time._

“ _Why didn't you wait?” Spirit murmured, cleaning his arm gently with a wet washcloth. “I was on my way.”_

“ _I don't believe you.”_

“ _Franken...”_

_Stein looked up at Spirit, frowning. Despite having been dating for months now, Spirit rarely used his first name. There was something too intimate to Stein about his own name, something beyond explanation._

“ _I bet you hate me right now.” Stein said. His voice was a careful monotone, as if he didn't care one way or another._

“ _Of course I don't hate you! Don't be stupid.”_

_He rolled his eyes. “Then you resent me.”_

_Spirit took a deep breath. “No.” He brought out the gauze and slowly wrapped him up._

“ _Liar.”_

_Spirit finished his work and took Stein's hand, kissing it gently. “Stein, I could never hate you. And I never once resented you. I made the first move, didn't I?”_

“ _You did.” Stein acknowledged._

“ _So stop all this nonsense, okay?”_

“ _No promises.”_

_Spirit reached out and stroked Stein's cheek. He was much more physically affectionate than the younger man, but Stein let him do as he pleased. He didn't have anyone else, so he would do anything to keep Spirit in his arms._

“ _Can I stay? Please?” Spirit was cupping Stein's face now and he found himself leaning into the touch._

“ _Fine.”_

_Trembling lips pressed to his forehead and he grinned. Spirit would be reluctant to leave his side for a very long while._

* * *

“I thought you quit?”

Stein looked over at the speaker. It was Heron.

“I'm trying.”

“I'm glad you're back. So are the others, even if they won't admit it.”

“I do keep things interesting, don't I?”

“How's the kid?” Heron wasn't here to shoot the breeze with his intern, clearly.

“She eats, she sleeps, she has nightmares and questions. Standard trauma.”

“Awfully clinical of you.”

He shrugged. “I...”

“You're different.”

“I know.”

“I'm worried about you.”

That surprised him. He knew that Heron cared about him, considered him valuable, but he never thought that that would extend to worry.

“I'm the sanest I've ever been, if you want me to be honest.”

“Hell of a thing to make you sane.”

“Believe me, the guilt keeps me up at night.”

“I will say that Albarn is out of the danger zone for now. He's stable.”

“But he won't wake up. He... he can't wake up. Not yet.”

Heron placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, but soon, Franken.”

“He's got a kid. A wife he needs to bury. I owe him, but...”

“I know. It's always hard when it's family.”

Stein shook his head. “He isn't family.”

“Not to you, maybe, but to him? I don't know what happened between the two of you, but clearly it wasn't so bad that you can't make amends.”

Stein scoffed. “I guess this is a start, then.”

“I'd say so, yeah.”

“Anything else?”

“Nurses giving me grief about you tending to him.”

He rolled his eyes. He knew nurses did most of the work, with doctors checking in maybe every other day, and he respected them. But this was Spirit and the only other person he trusted at this point was Marie and she couldn't exactly live at the hospital until he woke up.

“Come on, Heron, you know I have trust issues.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I basically told them to suck it up.”

Stein's cigarette had burnt out in his fingers. He stuck it back in the box, wondering if he'd get to smoke it later or if this was his last one.

“I... don't want her to be here when he wakes up. It'll upset her.”

Heron folded his arms. “Do you?”

“ _I_ might upset him.” He responded, stoically.

“Okay. Well, obviously we'll contact you when he's up and ready for visitors.”

Stein nodded. “All right. I gotta get my kid home.”

“ _You're_ kid, huh?” Heron raised an eyebrow. Was he blushing?

“Shut up.” Stein called behind him as the roof door slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tw at the beginning is for a flashback of Stein's after he calls Spirit during a bad mental health episode. He pushes Spirit away, but Spirit insists on staying which is exactly what Stein wanted in the first place. It's intended to give a feel of Stein being possessive of Spirit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for your kind comments! This fic is getting more attention than the other three I'm currently writing wow!

It was a blessedly quiet day, Marie having agreed to take the kids to the park and play while Stein got some much needed rest. And while he definitely should have been resting, he was at Sid's. Now that he was so busy, he didn't know what to do with himself when he wasn't busy. Sid, however, always knew how to keep himself occupied and sometimes found that Stein encroaching on his space was a bit... obnoxious.

Still, there was a camaraderie there – two young men suddenly having fatherhood thrust upon them. And unlike most men they knew, they actually wanted to do a good job with it. Or at least that what Sid thought until Stein jerked violently at his mention of school.

“School?” Stein blinked at the younger man, nonplussed. “Um. You... want to go back?”

Sid shook his head. “No, I'm talking about the kids. It's almost time for both of them to start kindergarten.”

“Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Really? I don't even know what day it is.”

“It's Wednesday.”

“Month?”

“June.”

“Christ.”

“Just Sid, is fine.”

Stein stared at him for a solid 30 seconds before bursting out laughing. “Oh, man... Ah... But seriously we're already in June?”

Sid nodded, pointing at the calendar. “Yup. But I'm not surprised that you're shocked. Between running two households, the hospital, and Maka, the fact that you're even awake in the middle of the day is a miracle.”

He shrugged. “My brain doesn't turn off until my body does. It's gotten better, but I can go days without sleeping.”

“Would you like to start working out with me?”

“A-whu-?”

“I mean it. Since I've been feeding you, you've packed on the pounds.” Sid poked Stein in the stomach to prove his point. “Exercise is also good for you.”

“I get my steps in at the hospital and on those damn stairs.”

“I know. But you'll also have more energy.”

“Hmm. True. I'll think-” The rest of his sentence was cut off by the ringtone he had set for Heron. “-hello?” He paused while Heron talked before standing and running out of Sid's apartment like he had done his own months ago.

* * *

“-wife! My daughter! Where-”

“Sir, if you don't calm down, we'll have to sedate you again.”

“Don't...” Stein gasp, bracing himself on the doorway. “I'm... his attending...”

“You're still a resident here, Stein.” The nurse was an older gentleman he greatly disliked. He enjoyed bossing Stein around.

“Family, then.” His voiced hardened as he caught his breath. “I've been taking care of his kid since the accident – I've known him for years. This is all in the record, Smith. Get out.”

Nurse Smith pursed his lips, but left with his team of nurses. “You're running out of chances, you know.”

“OUT!” He pointed, slamming the door behind the last one. He took another deep breath before facing Spirit. “Welcome back, Spirit.”

“Stein? What? What's going on, how long have I been...” Spirit tried moving and winced with the effort.

“Sorry.” He hurried to Spirit's side and began checking IV bags and vitals. “I guess Dr. Heron kept his promise.”

“Stein, I know you love to hear yourself talk but _please_ tell me what's going on?”

He sat down next to the bed and recounted the months that Spirit missed. He handed him his phone, where he had occasionally sneaked pictures of Maka and some she had taken herself.

“This one,” Stein explained, “she got her arm brace taken off and she was so excited to tell you all about it.” Maka had waved her tan-lined arm excitedly while Spirit remained immobile. “I know it's... not the best picture, but she was so happy that day.”

Spirit closed his eyes again, his eyes burning with tears. Strangers and Stein were the last people he wanted to see when he woke up. Especially since so much time was missing. This wasn't going on a bender, being sick for a few days, or over sleeping. He was in a coma for months. He noticed in the pictures that Maka got taller, made new friends, her hair was longer... And Kami...

His eyes shot open. “Where's Kami?”

Stein stuck his phone back in his pocket, unable to look him in the eye. Even when an arm unexpectedly shot out and jerked him forward, he kept his eyes to the ceiling. He couldn't stand to tell one more person that Kami Albarn was laying silently in the basement of the hospital.

“Fine, fuck you.” Spirit spat, ringing the nurse. Smith came back in, all pleasentries and smiles.

“How can I help you, Mr. Albarn?”

“Where's my wife?”

Smith looked at Stein for a moment, frowning. The boy had been adamant about handling the Albarn case on his own and yet here he was, unable to handle the most important job.

“I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you this, Mr. Albarn.” Smith chose his words carefully, knowing Stein was still listening intently. “But your wife passed away in the crash that injured you and your daughter. Her body remains here in our morgue. No one has come to claim it or plan a burial for her. Some of us,” his eyes drifted to Stein before landing back on Spirit, “felt it would be inappropriate if you did not get a chance to say good bye to her.”

Spirit's head was hung low, hair obscuring his face. Dead. Kami, dead. His wife, dead. The mother of his child, dead. Love of his life, dead.

“Is there anything else you require, Mr. Albarn?”

Spirit shook his head, healed hand gripping the sheet tightly.

“Very good. We have a number of grief counseling and funeral home services available by phone, should you wish to speak to any one.” The door slid shut once again.

“Get out.”

Stein's head jerked up. “What?”

“GET! OUT!” Spirit shouted, wanting to throw something but coming up empty. “Get out of this room! Get out of this building, get out of my LIFE!”

“Spirit...”

“GO!”

He looked so terrifying that Stein had no choice but to stumble out of the room and run again.

And again and again and again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I heard you guys wanted to me wake Spirit up...

**Author's Note:**

> There is NOT enough stein/sprit content in my opinion and dad!stein makes me soft. So take this garbage heap and enjoy.


End file.
